Welcome Home Endeavour!

Always glad to see them safely on the ground...

I just read an article at FOX news (Feb. 1 '10) that the President wants to cancel NASA's replacement vehicle for the shuttle/Lunar project ("Constellation")...

Personally, I'm disappointed... as anti Science as I can be, I have a very avid love of the space program, or better put... Humanities Quest for the Stars...

RIG wrote:I just read an article at FOX news (Feb. 1 '10) that the President wants to cancel NASA's replacement vehicle for the shuttle/Lunar project ("Constellation")...

Personally, I'm disappointed... as anti Science as I can be, I have a very avid love of the space program, or better put... Humanities Quest for the Stars...

Yes, me too. Now they can add more people to the unemployment list. Don't they understand with each program they cancel, people loose their jobs

What part don't they get - more program, more jobs, more tax money for them????? It's not that hard.

I'll agree, I'm concerned to an extent about this alleged cut-off of funding and the ensuing reduction of employment by all the various contractors. Also like was featured a day or so ago on CBS News that it may leave the future of space to the new corporations to become the Ford and GM of space travel and charge NASA astronauts a boarding fee or something to ride on the commercial junkets to space.

Yes it is a cheap shot by the administration, but considering all the other funding they are forced to undertake, where do you draw the line, what programs do you cut, do you fund, etc.

I totally agree with everyone on the cutting of funding for our space program.

My son knows a lot about the entire shuttle program and was saying last night about companies that make parts for the shuttle. He said that some of these companies, the only reason they were in business was because of the shuttle because the parts they make are so specialized that it is all they do.

When we lived in FL, mind you were were on the west coast in Clearwater, but most every launch that went up from 1994 to 2001, we saw them take off. I was at first in disbelief that being almost 300 miles away you could see that from where we were, but sure enough. We had two palm trees that we useds as a crude measuring stick and everytime that shuttle went up, depending upon which pad it was on, it would either go straight up and then slightly bend to the right or slightly to the left. We saw some breathtaking launches. I really liked the night ones. However we saw a pre-dawn launch that was just spectacular.

We have been fairly lucky being where we are in CA that if the shuttle does return to Edwards, which is about an hour or so from us, we usually get that double sonic boom. When you are standing outside waiting for it, and it hits, you feel it go right though you. Most amazing feeling. If it is in the daytime you can't see the shuttle, however if it is at night you can see the shuttle track across the sky way up there.

So many advances have been made by our space program. There have been many, many medical tests and advances that have come out of that program and the research that has been done up there. I sure hate to think of that ending. My son has been collecting parts from the shuttles. He has a piece of tile from Challenger, and a coupling or something of that sort from Columbia. He also has pieces from Discovery, and Atlantis. He also got a complete orbit map from a 1984 Challenger mission that is 15 x 40 and really quite interesting to look at. He has always been interested in the program. We visited Kennedy Space Center when we went to Daytona one summer and I will tell you, if you are ever in FL and get a chance to go, it is a wonderful experience. I would recommend it to anyone. The history out there is amazing. We even went to the buildling where they were making parts of the International Space Station. You could not take pictures or use video recorders at that building. There were certain areas where photography was not allowed but for the most part they really liked people taking photos and stuff. Like I said it was just a really neat place to go and visit. Even got to go into a model of the shuttle and the cockpit and you cannot believe the amount of buttons, switches and knobs that thing has in there. It blew my mind.

I always say a little prayer before they go up and before they enter the earths atmosphere on the way back. I remember exactly where I was when Challenger and Columbia happened. Sure don't want to see that happen again with the remaining fleet.

I do hope that they keep with the plan to bring back the last shuttle mission to Edwards, which right now is what they are saying they are going to do. That would make the circle complete so to speak since the shuttle in the beginning took off from Kennedy and landed at Edwards. If that does happen, we will be making the trip out there. My son is also planning on going to one of the four remaining launches in FL. I think he is wanting to go to the last launch in FL and then come back and go to Edwards to see it come in for the final time.

Unfortunately, I can't blame the defunding of the shuttle program on this adminstration. I believe that funding was cut off sometime between early 2008-late 2008, if I am not mistaken. My son said each vehicle was given a flight span of 100 missions each, so if we have only completed the 130th mission, as Endeavour did yesterday, the I would think with 3 remaining shuttles left, that we should have plenty of flight time left on those vehicles to complete what we would need to do.

It is really sad to see a piece of our history go by the way side. We were the only ones able to pull that off. Russia built one but could not get it to go. We are the only country that can do it. It is certainly something we should all be proud about.

Bill Silver Eagle wrote:I'll agree, I'm concerned to an extent about this alleged cut-off of funding and the ensuing reduction of employment by all the various contractors. Also like was featured a day or so ago on CBS News that it may leave the future of space to the new corporations to become the Ford and GM of space travel and charge NASA astronauts a boarding fee or something to ride on the commercial junkets to space.

Yes it is a cheap shot by the administration, but considering all the other funding they are forced to undertake, where do you draw the line, what programs do you cut, do you fund, etc.

I have seen what all these cuts have done first hand and it is just sad. The San Fernando Valley in So.Cal. was an Aerospace haven. People lived good and flourished. My mom worked for Rocketdyne (Shuttle) and I worked for Hughes Aircraft Company. After so many cuts and high taxes put on these aerospace companies they were forced to close down or move out of state. Then the 1994 Northridge Quake happened. The San Fernando Valley has never been the same since. The space program is so important for one and all and they just don't seem to get it. Thanks for posting this Bill.

Nightmoves wrote:

Bill Silver Eagle wrote:I'll agree, I'm concerned to an extent about this alleged cut-off of funding and the ensuing reduction of employment by all the various contractors. Also like was featured a day or so ago on CBS News that it may leave the future of space to the new corporations to become the Ford and GM of space travel and charge NASA astronauts a boarding fee or something to ride on the commercial junkets to space.

Yes it is a cheap shot by the administration, but considering all the other funding they are forced to undertake, where do you draw the line, what programs do you cut, do you fund, etc.

I have seen what all these cuts have done first hand and it is just sad. The San Fernando Valley in So.Cal. was an Aerospace haven. People lived good and flourished. My mom worked for Rocketdyne (Shuttle) and I worked for Hughes Aircraft Company. After so many cuts and high taxes put on these aerospace companies they were forced to close down or move out of state. Then the 1994 Northridge Quake happened. The San Fernando Valley has never been the same since. The space program is so important for one and all and they just don't seem to get it. Thanks for posting this Bill.

My husband works for an aerospace/aviation/defense contractor in Chatsworth. Since the aerospace budgets kept getting cut and now with the slow down in aviation (Delta, Southwest, Continental, etc.) they have really relied on their defense business which because of both wars has been booming. I don't want to go into much detail about what they do but let me say this without them and the designs and patents they have received there would be less inovation then there currently is.

Wow, your mom worked for Rocketdyne! The only news we receive about that is when it hits the papers about the Santa Susanna plant and the clean up, which is a negative. They always seem to fail to mention the achievements that have been made from those companies.

Calibabe wrote:

Nightmoves wrote:

Bill Silver Eagle wrote:I'll agree, I'm concerned to an extent about this alleged cut-off of funding and the ensuing reduction of employment by all the various contractors. Also like was featured a day or so ago on CBS News that it may leave the future of space to the new corporations to become the Ford and GM of space travel and charge NASA astronauts a boarding fee or something to ride on the commercial junkets to space.

Yes it is a cheap shot by the administration, but considering all the other funding they are forced to undertake, where do you draw the line, what programs do you cut, do you fund, etc.

I have seen what all these cuts have done first hand and it is just sad. The San Fernando Valley in So.Cal. was an Aerospace haven. People lived good and flourished. My mom worked for Rocketdyne (Shuttle) and I worked for Hughes Aircraft Company. After so many cuts and high taxes put on these aerospace companies they were forced to close down or move out of state. Then the 1994 Northridge Quake happened. The San Fernando Valley has never been the same since. The space program is so important for one and all and they just don't seem to get it. Thanks for posting this Bill.

My husband works for an aerospace/aviation/defense contractor in Chatsworth. Since the aerospace budgets kept getting cut and now with the slow down in aviation (Delta, Southwest, Continental, etc.) they have really relied on their defense business which because of both wars has been booming. I don't want to go into much detail about what they do but let me say this without them and the designs and patents they have received there would be less inovation then there currently is.

Are they hiring???

Nightmoves wrote:

Calibabe wrote:

Nightmoves wrote:

Bill Silver Eagle wrote:I'll agree, I'm concerned to an extent about this alleged cut-off of funding and the ensuing reduction of employment by all the various contractors. Also like was featured a day or so ago on CBS News that it may leave the future of space to the new corporations to become the Ford and GM of space travel and charge NASA astronauts a boarding fee or something to ride on the commercial junkets to space.

Yes it is a cheap shot by the administration, but considering all the other funding they are forced to undertake, where do you draw the line, what programs do you cut, do you fund, etc.

I have seen what all these cuts have done first hand and it is just sad. The San Fernando Valley in So.Cal. was an Aerospace haven. People lived good and flourished. My mom worked for Rocketdyne (Shuttle) and I worked for Hughes Aircraft Company. After so many cuts and high taxes put on these aerospace companies they were forced to close down or move out of state. Then the 1994 Northridge Quake happened. The San Fernando Valley has never been the same since. The space program is so important for one and all and they just don't seem to get it. Thanks for posting this Bill.

My husband works for an aerospace/aviation/defense contractor in Chatsworth. Since the aerospace budgets kept getting cut and now with the slow down in aviation (Delta, Southwest, Continental, etc.) they have really relied on their defense business which because of both wars has been booming. I don't want to go into much detail about what they do but let me say this without them and the designs and patents they have received there would be less inovation then there currently is.

Are they hiring???

No, in fact they may lay more people off. Economy sucks right now. They laid off around 100 people last October or early November but it took the owner months to actually do the layoff. Really nice guy that just doesn't want to get rid of people unless absolutely necessary, which in this day and age is kind of rare. They haven't even given any raises in the last two years. Which kinda sucks for my son who works part time there and for my husband. However in this economy, if you are employed, it is good just to be employed. You take what you can get.

However if they do have any openings in the near future, I will let you know.

I was really hoping to be able to see the next shuttle launch. It was scheduled for March 18th but now they have moved it to April 5th, so I probably won't be in Fla. then unless the daughter is overdue on the new grandbaby and from the way she looks, she will probably be early rather than late. I'm thinking somewhere mid to late March our "Lucy" will arrive, so we'll see. Oh well, I just want a healthy granddaughter so my "shuttle" desires will have to take a second to that!